Good wellbeing is all about balance. In the midst of half term, are you winning at balance and harmony in your life? Not easy when you are trying to balance work, a family, health and a home not to mention all of this in the throws of the covid 19 pandemic.
We often use the wheel of life in clinic to help our patient’s when they need to decide what is important to them.
If you manage to get 5 minutes this half term (lock yourself in the bathroom) take this wheel of life and rate each section out of 10 with 10 being the most important to you and 0 being the least important to you.
Don’t forget, we are in strange times and so some things may mean more (or less) to you right now than they did say back in January.
What do the results mean?
The higher scores reflect what is important to you, what you value in your life. An example would be that if exercised scored a high mark then your health is probably a high priority to you. If recreation and fun are high right now, it might be because you are not getting your usual fill of social interaction right now, so it has become more important than ever.
What do the lower scores mean?
The meaning very much depends on if you are comfortable with these scores. For example if money doesn’t rate high on your wheel of life but you aren’t struggling financially then it is pointless to make it a worry. If family, kids and love rate low but you and your family are suffering as a result then this would indicate that now is the time to make some changes.
Do not stress over the wheel of life however, it serves as a guide and a point of focus to help you to revaluate what is important to you at that moment in time. Don’t forget that life changes and ebbs and flows and things will become of greater and lesser importance at certain points in our life. The wheel serves as a way of focusing our minds on what we want and/ or need most right now.
How do I make the changes I need then?
1. Start by picking one area you genuinely want to improve upon.
2. What are the 3 things you could be doing to improve that are of life?
3. Are there things you know you could be doing in this area, that aren’t happening right now?
4. What do you need to stop doing?
5. What will happen if you don’t change things? What about if you do change things?
6. What one action could you take everyday that would not take up too much time, and would take you in the direction you want to go in?
7. Can you commit to that action?
8. When will you start? Set yourself a goal!
Once you have identified the one area that you most want to improve in, start by committing just 15 minutes to that area each day. Starting small will ensure your success.
I read a book earlier this year and a Father decided that he most wanted to improve on the way he was with his children. When he walked through the door each evening, for 5 minutes he would behave in what he perceived would be the best dad in the world, like they were the only children in the world and the only person he had seen that day, even though he just wanted to eat supper and sit on the sofa. The kids loved seeing their dad, their relationship improved and they soon got bored of him, leaving him (the now best dad ever) to get on with his evening!
